Baby-walker.



J.GANfi0NL BAB Y WALKER.

7 APPLICATION mm FEB. 25. 1914.

1,256,548. mm Feb. 19,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

, BY 4/ -14 OR/V Y J. GANNQN.

BABYWALKER.

APPLICATION men FEB. 25. 1914.

Emma Feb.19,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET'2.

I w j m A/ MM W B y (/Mk TTOR/VEY 50 drawings, which are to be taken as a part may be given the reference nuinera JOSEPH GANNON, OF WALTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T STEINFELD BROS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A FIRM COMPOSED 0F SAMUEL STEINFELD AND LEO STEINFELD.

BABY-WALKER.

1, 56,548. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 19, 1918,

Application filed February 25, 1914. Serial No. 820,891.

To allirhom it may concern: Fig. 3 is a detail view, on an enlarged Be it known that I, Joserrr GANNON, a scale, showing in what may be termed citizen of the United States of America, front elevation certain of the parts disand resident of Walton, in the county of closed in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Delaware and State of New York. have in- Fig. 4 is a similar view, but partly in seevented certain new and useful Improvetion, showing said parts in what may be ments in Baby-Valkers, of which the foltermed side elevation, illustrated in full lowing is a specification lines in expanded condition and in broken This invention relates to the article of do lines in collapsed condition. 10 mestie furniture generally termed a baby- The present embodiment, as shown, in-

walker; which, it may be explained, has cludes a base-ring 5 of a usual type adapted generally consisted of a base-ring of comto have built up in connection therewith the paratively great diameter, means carried general structure. thereby to permit of travels thereof over the Said base-ring carries on its underside a 15 floor without material friction, and a strucsuitable plurality of preferably swiveled ture supported above the base-ring which rollers 6 (but two of which are illustrated), usually included a seat and circular breastand on its upper surface three T-brackets 7, rail arranged at such a height above the cenas indicated. Pivotally mounted upon each ter of the base-ring that the suspended feet of said brackets is a built-up strut includ- 20 of the infant could engage and push against ing a pair of bars 8; said strut including the floor to propel the structure, the ciralso a single bar 9 which may when decular breast-rail being of sufficiently less sired, and as hereinafter explained, serve diameter than the base-ring to protect the to prolong the strut-structure as shown in occupant of the seat from accidental injury. full lines in the drawings.

25 The cardinal object of the present inven- The upper terminal portion of each bar tion is to provide a structure of the above 9 is pivotally mounted as shown at 10 upon type, but one characterized by many novel one of the T-brackets 11. Each T-bracket advantages, the more important of which 11 is dependent from the underside of the are to provide a construction that is colcircular breast-rail 12, and each carries a 30 lapsible when desired so that the collapsed stop-pin 13 adapted to cooperate with ts adarticle will be very compact; to provide a jacent bar 9 as illustrated. The functions of rigid, dependable and inexpensive arrangethese stop-pins will be understood, if t be ment of the parts, and to provide a safe noted at this point that the weight of the locking means for maintaining as long as infant is suspended as hereinafter described 3 desired the expanded condition of the defrom the breast-ra l 12; and the reason for Vice. preferably arranging the stop-pins along- Otlier objects and aims of the invention, side the outer edge rather than adjacent the more or less broad than those stated above, inner edge of each bar (see Fig. 3) will I together with the advantages inherent. will be understood too, if it is also noted at this 4 be in part obvious and in part specifically point that upon the present structure col- 9 referred to in the course of the following lapsing to the broken-line condition shown description of the elements, combinations, in Fig. 4. each bar 9, ZtS IIIdICtItGCl, will be arrangements of parts, and applications of enabled to clear its associated stop-pin (see principles constituting the invention; and Fig. 4). s the scope of p ote ion emp at d will Suitably suspended from the breast-rail 10o appear from the claims. 12 are a plurality (in the present instance, In the accompanying drawings, there is four) of retractile springs 14; from each 0 disclosed an embodiment of the present inwhich, in turn, is suspended one of the seat vention as at present preferred; and in these supporting straps 15. The seat itselfi wneil;

9 of this specification, preferably shaped as illustrated and al Figure 1 is a top plan view of said empreferably carries a post or the like simllai bodiment; to the ost 17. A trav 18 is disclosed as be- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken ing carried by the breast-rail 12 55 on the line 2-2 of F ig. l; Let us assume at this point, still deferring no temporarily a description of the means provided for permitting of a collapsing'of the structure, that thedevice is expanded, that is, in the condition illustrated say in F igs. 1 and 2, so that the manner of operation thereof may now be explained. T heinfant is placed upon the seat 16 so that he faces the tray 18, his arms are free'abovethe'breastrail 12, his legs extend downwardly through the spaces 16 and straddle the post 17, and his feet are within effective reach of the floor. He is-thus supported in such a way that he may exercise his leg muscles topro- 7 pel himself and actually take definite steps, and even maintain standing postures at brief intervals, without danger of losing his balance and falling and lso without anypossn bility of setting up the usualdeformities which follow the unduestr'ains of early walking. -2The base-ring projects sufficiently to-uomeinto contact'with the lower portions of tables and the like in sucha way that ,the childs head and other portions of hisbody 1 are adequately safeguarded. Now to take up a description of the collapsible feature of the invention; and in connection with which, allusions to the structure provided will in the main refer to Figs. 3and4. In eachcase, bars 8 are spacedapart (Fig. 3) a by means of the five transverse rivet-pins 19, 20, '21, 22 and 23,'each of which pins also serves'an additional :function, aswill be indicated; Pin 19.,slidably and pivotally links together bars 8. and bar 9, this pin passing through .the slot24 formed in bar' 9; Pin 20 serves to cooperate as hereinafter described, and as shown in full lines in'Fig. 4:, with the notched terminusof bar 9; "Upon pin 21 is pivotally hung the latch-member 25, and and 23 as disclosed, is '26 so arranged as to "urge latch-member 25 from itsbroken-line 45 location 25 to the full-line location thereof -"-Sl1OWn"ln*Fig. 4. Bar 9yis provided in :its f ou'tside edge with a V-notch :27, adapted. at

a leaf or wire-spring be'efl'ective always to f certaiiictimes' to cooperate as disclosed-with l l f the toothed" end-of; the latch-member, the

latc'h-me'mber being also provided with an operatingportion28.: 'A preferable"manner of collapsing the structure, assuming that the means described in""the preceding;paragraph at present, is

' substanti ally as follows: It-ispreliminarfly :each' "strut are disposed linesyinylfig. 4. "T hus dispos d fllere is-prese'nt arigid'and sturdy framework adequate to maintain theintegrity of the structure applied to the,

coilecl about pins 22 leasing movement of the latch-member, whether due. to rcontact with articles of furniture or the like-or to any tampering therewith by the occupant of the walker. hen once the toothed end of each latchmember is engaged with the V-notch carried by the adjacent bar 9, the bars'8 cannot slide along'their adjacent bars 9 in the direction indicated by the arrow of Fig. 4, and thus each of the pins 20 is-insured against disengagement from the cooperating terminus of the adjacent .bar 9; the stoppins 13 serving as described hereinabove, to prevent anyconsiderable movement of breast-rail 12 relatively ofbase-ring 5.

To collapse the structure,sufiicientpressure is applied to the operating portionflof each latch-member 25 to lift the toothed end thereof free-of'its adjacentV-notch in: bar, 9.- 'Eachof the bars 9 is then moved .rela tively of-the thereto-linked bars 8, and in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 4) until thetip of the tooth of each latch-member 25ricles against the outer edge of its ad- '7 jacent bar 9. Slots 24: permit of. the just- 90 describeclop eratiOnS, and each of the; slots is preferably so designed that it will constitute a stop for its pin 19 when the free endof its bar 9 is able to be .swu'ng 'in a clockwise direction (Fig. 4) to clear the ad 95 jacentpin 20at which time each spri'n' 2,6, acting through the tooth of its latch- .member 25, will initiate this clockwise swinging ofits bar 9 sufficiently to'permit 'of-theparts being-collapsed to the brokelr '100 line locationsshown in Fig. l upo n downward pressure being Q exerted 'againstthe breast-rail 12. The seat 16, it will be, re-

- memberecL; is flexibly, suspended, and will -be;accommod ated within base ri ng 5 'Figf105 ,4 shows in collapsed condition'merelyone of the struts, .but it willof course be understood that when collapsed each of the struts will be soarranged that the free endsfof bars 9 will as indicatedin said Fig. l fpoint a a e ie 1'10 e a dfl e c n rs-t the 1 lt w ll beg seen that :th evi l nt-lief.s o g -ki ih ig"; it 1 5 1 been pointed :out; in 'ivhat manner; vari6us i15 oh j ects herein fist forthan d, indicatetli liave gbeen attained and it-jlwill follo'wllthatj I have, provided an embodiment 10f th'isl invention well calculated to attaia'au"passible ends and ai1ns'..thereof. :i

. .1- i smue aem nv-e ialise i an the above ,constructi'on and vapp,arent ly. widely, {diff lit einbod1ments :ofinvention could ,bief madefwithoiitlde parting, from the K i l pe 'Jt e'rcOf, iiin ,7 tended @that all .matter lcoiitaiijedfin "the above description or shown in} the nany a dinning, shallcbe inter illustrative and not jn igniting It is also to h dfiiijdrstoodwha guage used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described, in combination, a base ring, a breast rail and a plurality of pivoted rod connections between the base ring and the breast rail, means for maintaining the rods in alinement when extended and a spring actuated lever associated with each rod connection to lock the rods in their alined position, said lever also constituting a means for throwing the rods out of alinement when the alining means is disengaged.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base ring, a breast rail, a seat connected to said breast rail, and a plurality of connections between said base ring and said breast rail, each of said connections including a plurality of relatively movable parts, means foralining said connections when extended, each of said relatively movable parts having associated therewith a spring actuated pivoted lever, said lever constituting a means for looking the connections in their alined position and also a means for throwing the connections out of alinement when the alining means is released.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base ring, a breast rail, a seat connected to said breast rail, and a plurality of connections between said base ring and said breast rail, each of said connections including a plurality of relatively movable parts, a pin and an open slotted connection between the parts for Copies of thit patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the maintaining them in an alined position, and a spring actuated lever associated with one of the parts of a connection and cooperating with the opposite part to lock the said arts in their alined position, said spring actuated lever also constituting a means for throwing the parts out of alinement when the alining means is disengaged.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base ring, a breast rail, a plurality of members each of which is pivotally suspended from said breast rail, a plurality of struts each including a plurality of spaced bars, each of said struts being pivotally mounted at its lower end on said base ring, a slot and pin connection between each 0 said members and each of said struts, a plurality of alining means each of which is partially carried by one of said members and partially carried by the associated strut all so arranged that each of said members may be alined relatively to its associated struts to dispose a portion of said member between the bars of said associated strut thereby to permit said alining means to be predeterminedly set, a notch formed in the outer edge of each of said members, and a spring actuated pivoted latch lever associated with each strut and carrying a tooth adapted to engage the notch of the associated member when said alining means is set, said lever also constituting a means for throwing the strut and its associated member out of alinement when the alining means is disengaged.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH GANNON.

In the presence of- HARRY MCCABE,

E. A. Gannon.

"Commissioner 02 Eatents,

Washington, D. C. 

